Skincare in the Air (8 Travel Friendly Beauty Tips!)

15 Comments

Hiya Gorgeous!

I just got back from the Bahamas and wow did I need that break. I don’t know about you, but resting is not easy for me. On my vacation, I realized that there’s a big difference between putter resting (where you pretend you’re relaxing, but you’re really making lists, organizing, folding laundry and a million other things ) and real resting. I’m talking about, true, ain’t doing nothing but reading and drawing in the sand with my toes, rest. I’ll have more to say about this in an upcoming video, so stay tuned!

I also realized that travel can make my skin look a little mangy. That’s why I asked our awesome beauty editor, Danielle Shine, to show us how to keep our skin healthy and glowing while we’re on the go.

Take it away, Danielle!

Skincare in the Air

Before you board your next flight, let me shed some light on a few things you can do to supercharge your skin’s wellness while you’re high in the sky.

After 17 years of frequent flying across the globe, I feel as though I’ve got this thing nailed. After much trial and error, I’m now that girl who always arrives at a destination looking fresh and feeling fine. I want this for you too, which is why I’m sharing my top skin care commandments.

Thou shalt wear no makeup during thy travel

Whether you’re in the air or on the ground, makeup on your face naturally grabs onto dirt and other environmental toxins that create free radicals. This causes breakdown of the precious collagen in your skin—that’s the good stuff you want MORE of, not less!

Generally speaking, I encourage makeup-free days, but especially urge you to fly bare-faced. Instead of covering up, embrace your bare-faced beauty! True beauty involves self-acceptance and nourishment—including any bits you consider to be your ‘flaws’. No such thing, ok?!

Thou shalt drink a LOT of water

Repeat after me: I hydrate, I hydrate, I hydrate! Aircraft cabins are pressurized in a particular way so you can breathe easy during your flight. The thing is, this type of pressure drastically reduces humidity levels on board.

I like to drink 16 ounces of water for every hour I’m in the air. I also incorporate detoxifying herbal teas into my liquid allowance to support and stimulate my body’s natural detoxification pathways. It’s important to support your body, namely your liver, to effectively process and eliminate pollutants absorbed during and after flying. Some of my favourite herbs that support the detoxification process include: calendula, burdock root, dandelion root, milk thistle and dandelion leaf.

Thou shalt add extra moisture to thy skin

Invest in a high quality, synthetic-chemical-free face moisturizer to apply during transit. Or, DIY like I do by combining the following health-supportive oils that provide natural vitamins, minerals and SPF to keep your skin happy and hydrated.

Combine two teaspoons each: olive, jojoba, borage, sunflower and red raspberry seed oil in a dark glass bottle. Shake well before each use and apply with clean fingers every 2 hours of long haul travel. When creating your own skincare blends, choose the highest-quality natural products and save money by buying in bulk.

Thou shalt safeguard thy wellness whilst asleep

If you typically wake from long haul flights with a puffy face and a scratchy throat, consider wearing an organic, animal-and-environmentally-friendly facemask while you sleep. I also recommend you cover your mouth with a ventilated face mask to keep your throat moist. I’m not going to lie, this look is definitely unique! But, your comfort is worth it (not to mention that you’re probably never going to see most of your fellow travelers again, so let your self-care flag fly, girlfriend). I like these masks.

Thou shalt moisturize thy nasal passages

The skin inside your nose is very thin thus highly prone to becoming super dry and irritated fast! You can avoid this by investing in a lubricating nasal spray—my current favorite is this one but there are many available. Check your local health food store and opt for one created with minimal and natural ingredients.

Thou shalt avoid plane food

This is possibly the BEST piece of advice you’ll ever receive when it comes to safeguarding your overall wellness when flying.

Prep and pack your own food to take and eat on board. Or, if you don’t have health concerns that would require eating at regular intervals, consider adopting intermittent fasting during travel, it’s a practice I decided to adopt 3 years ago which has totally changed the game for me! Not only does it supercharge the appearance of my skin, it also works wonders for my digestion.

Thou shalt move thy body before, during and after thy flight

We all know by now that sitting is the new smoking, so it’s a no-brainer that sitting for extended periods of time in a pressurized cabin is a big no-no.

If you follow my advice to hydrate regularly, you’ll be needing to make more frequent toilet trips, which will get you up and about. You can also set an alarm on your phone to remind you to stand and stretch every 30-60 minutes. Head to one of the galleys for more space to move. I like to bust out some yoga poses that get my blood flowing. Feels. So. Good.

Thou shalt remember to breathe, be calm and stay positive

One of the biggest stressors on your skin (and overall wellness) is excess cortisol hormone. Too much of the stuff can seriously impair your skin’s ability to function as a safety barrier to airborne bacteria that cause redness, blotchiness and breakouts.

Work on lowering your stress levels before, during and after flying by practicing guided meditations like this one.

Flying is the PERFECT time to just ‘be’ with yourself, so follow the steps outlined above and enjoy the (makeup-free) ride!

Get more tips for beautiful skin and a joyful life delivered straight to your inbox each week:

Thanks, Danielle! We hope these tips help you on your next flight. But before you go, I’d love for you to chime in!

Now’s your chance! Annmarie Gianni, the non-toxic skincare line I adore, is offering a sample kit for only $10. The shipping is free, and you’ll get a coupon for a later purchase. Try these natural, wild-crafted products that will help your skin glow. Get your sample kit here.

15 Responses…

I love most of these tips, but PLEASE don’t encourage passengers to head to the galleys to do yoga. I work as a flight attendant, and those galleys are our very small work spaces. We are often busy setting up for upcoming services and there just isn’t enough room for us to work and accommodate stretching passengers the whole flight. Feel free to walk up and down the aisles (except during meal/bev service) and stretch at your seat or in the aisle.

Hi Meghan, thanks for taking the time to comment! Apologies for any confusion – the galley areas I speak of relate to the space either side of the galleys, I’m not sure if this area has an official name? I hope this clarifies things!

Those areas have always served as such wonderful, wide-open-spaces that allow me to satisfyingly S-T-R-E-T-C-H out my body vs trying to stretch in those teensy-tiny, super-squishy aisles that are never free for more than a few minutes. In my 17 years of flying I’ve never got in anyone’s way, in fact, I’m often enlisted by flight staff to teach them some key yoga stretches to keep their bodies in tip top shape too!

On a similar note, I agree that a little stretch in your chair every now and then is a great idea, however, I could never recommend people choose a chair stretch over a much deeper, more health-supportive yoga-like stretch out of their chairs – this is especially important for anyone flying for more than one hour and/or those suffering from any kind of venous issue (varicose veins, Deep Vein Thrombosis, etc), it’s just too dangerous.

Once again, thanks for commenting. I really appreciate everything you and your wonderful colleagues do to make us all feel so at home in the sky.

I love the idea of creating DIY face serums! I do have a question about using oil on the face – does it work in the same way that baby oil does and attract sun? I live in Colorado and want to make sure the oil provides protection, not just moisture, for the sun.
Thanks!

Thanks for providing us this kind of information. Your tips are very helpful. With the help of these tips, we can maintain the beauty of our skin in the upcoming season. Natural beauty products are also very effective for the glow of the skin. I always try to use most of the time only Tina.k natural products.